Antoine-Jean Gros
1771-1835
French Neoclassical Painter
Artistically and Stylistically Influenced by the Following Painters - Francois Boucher, Francois Gerard, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Antonio Canova
Education - learned the basics of painting in his fathers studio and later studied under Jacques-Louis David
Cause of Death - suicide, he tied a stone around his neck and drowned himself.
Antoine-Jean Gros was
born in Paris on March
16, 1771 into a family
of painters who
specialized in
miniatures. From an
early age he proved
himself to be an
artistic prodigy and by
the age of
fourteen was employed in
workshop of
Jacques-Louis David.
At the height of the
French Revolution his
father was accused of
royalist sympathies and
his possessions were
confiscated by the
state. Overcome
with dishonor the elder
Gros took to his bed and
refused all food drink.
Dying within a few
weeks. Young
Antoine feared for his
own life hastily fled to
Italy. While in Florence
he became captivated by
the work of
renaissance masters
Raphael and
Michelangelo.
In
1796
Gros was introduced to
Josephine de Beauharnais
who introduced him to
her husband Napoleon
Bonaparte. According to
art historian, S.
Spooner "Napoleon was
not only a true lover of
art, but an excellent
connoisseur. He did more
to elevate the arts and
sciences in France than
all the monarchs
together who had
preceded him. It was a
part of his policy to
honor and reward every
man of genius, no matter
what his origin, and
thus to develop the
intellect of his
country. He foresaw the
advantage of making
Paris the great centre
of art; therefore he did
not hesitate to
transport from the
countries he conquered,
the most renowned and
valuable works of
ancient and modern
times."
Bonaparte commissioned
the struggling painter
to produce several large
historical paintings
highlighting his
military exploits. His
greatest
masterpiece,
Napoleon Visiting the
Plague-Stricken in Jaffa,
is considered a
masterwork of
propaganda. Gros
portrayed the ruthless
Napoleon as a
compassionate, concerned
leader. From then
on the artist was
employed as Napoleon's
chief propagandist
artist
After
the fall and exile of
Napoleon, Gros drifted
into a life of reckless
debauchery and drink.
One beautiful Spring day
In 1835, his glory days
long gone, Gros donned
the tattered uniform and
medals Napoleon had
awarded him and then
tied a rock around his
neck and cast himself
upon the waves.
Leaving behind a suicide
note which read "Tired
of life, and betrayed by
last faculties which
rendered it bearable, he
had resolved to end it."
Some time later
fisherman found his
bloated corpse, his face
half eaten away by sea
turtles. Description and the Founding of the Neoclassic Art Movement
"The Art of The French Revolution"
The period is called neoclassical because its artists looked back to the art and culture of classical Greece and Rome.
The spread of Neoclassical Art was primarily inspired by recent roman archeological excavations, including Pompeii and by gay art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann. Winckelmann touted the homoeroticism of Greco-Roman art, writing explicit descriptions of erotic nude male sculptures from Classical Antiquity thereby encouraging an interest in Greek antiquities. According to Winckelmanns biographer, Walter Pater, "his affinity with Hellenism was not merely intellectual, that the subtler threads of temperament were inwoven in it, is proved by his romantic, fervent friendships with young men. He has known, he says, many young men more beautiful than Guido’s archangel. These friendships, bringing him into contact with the pride of human form, and staining the thoughts with its bloom, perfected his reconciliation to the spirit of Greek sculpture.
Neoclassical art is
characterized by its
classical form and
structure, clarity, and
to an degree, realism.
French Neoclassism
painters emphasis's
patriotism, as well as a
sense of civility and
honorableness. The
movement was
particularly connected
with the beliefs of the
French Revolution and
was seen as
anti-aristocratic. The
fantasy-based aristocratic
art of the
James Barry Irish, 1741-1806
Antonio Canova
Italian, 1757-1822
Jacques-Louis David
French, 1748-1825
Jules Elie
Delaunay French, 1828-1891
Francois Gerard
French, 1770-1837
Antoine-Jean Gros
French, 1771-1835
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres French, 1780-1867
Angelica
Kauffmann Swiss, 1741-1807
Rembrandt Peale
American, 1778-1860
Bertel
Thorvaldsen Danish, 1770-1844
John Trumbull
American, 1756-1843
Elisabeth
Vigee-Lebrun French, 1755-1842
Benjamin West American, 1738-1820
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